If Raising Quail For Release or hunting preserves. Your birds will have to be conditioned to fly. In order for them to be ready, you will have to construct a Flight Pen.

These pens can range anywhere from 30ft to 150ft long, 12 to 15ft wide and tall enough to get a tractor or some other plowing device in. Usually 10 to 15ft high is good. They should also have a shelter built and a catch pen at the other end.

These pens should be constructed with ½ inch mesh wire. This wire should be covered with an open weave burlap or cheese cloth. This will help prevent your Quail from getting injured if they fly into the wire and the open weave will allow light and ventilation. The sides and the roof should be covered in this manner. You should also have your feeding devices in an area where they can’t get wet.

These pens should be off limits or away from people, children playing or any other type of activity that would allow the quail to get use to people. If that would happen, they could become easy prey in the wild.

There are several options for the type of ground cover. If in a relatively dry climate or in an area that drains well. You could plant a crop in this area that would closely resemble the type of environment they will be released in. It would be best to consult your county agent about the best crop to plant.

You could also use litter floors and some breeders will even use concrete. Whatever you use, proper management of these areas will be required.

Some Quail Breeders will build the shorter length pens of 30ft or so. Their reasoning behind this is, the shorter pen will not allow the Quail to glide. They will have to keep using their wings, thus making them stronger flyer’s.

When constructing these type of pens, you should figure 2 cubic feet per bird.